Citizens to Fight Terror

The past year was ridden with terror attacks. And most of us shook our heads, deplored the state of national security, blamed the government for its lapse, and moved on. However, a citizen’s group in Delhi has decided not to blame others and move on. Instead, it has formed Jagruk Nagrik Suraksha Sangathan, a group of like-minded people with an aim to become self-reliant and responsible for their own safety.

Nidhi Bhardwaj tells us more in Mint about the objective behind this group:

JNSS President Denson Joseph says a citizen has to “take up the responsibility of becoming alert, forming a network, and falling in line, to secure himself and the people around him. If we do that, we would not have the security forces to blame.”

So how do they plan to go about achieving their goal? Their first step was to identify the most likely terror targets, busy and crowded market places. Then, two separate teams were formed – the Citizen’s Intelligence Network to keep a watch and report any suspicious activities in the area, and Citizen’s Active Response Team to take quick action in case of any emergency.

All the shopkeepers have been asked to volunteer just one worker to join the Citizens’ Active Response team. They would be expected to take note of any suspicious activities and people moving around the market.

The plan is already being executed at Sarojini Nagar and Mehrauli market, some of the most popular destinations for shopping and terror strikes in Delhi. The citizen initiative has received widespread appreciation and response from the market associations. Simple in idea and implementation, this plan urges the citizen to be alert and responsible for their own lives – a credo that could prove very effective in this age of mindless terror.